In twenty years time your microwave will refuse to cook a meal for you because it is too fattening, according to futurologists at BT.

The scenario is just one of the predictions for life in 2010, based on developments at BT's research base in Martlesham. According to BT, by 2010, 95 percent of Brits will be online, everyone will have a virtual robot to organise his life and household appliances will talk to each other.

Showing a previously hidden cuddly side, BT also believes the Net will make us kinder. "The Internet will enable us to move from the information age to the caring age," said BT futurologist Ian Pearson. "Once we automate most of the physical and administrative demands of daily life, we will have the chance to explore our own humanity."